


It's Dark before the dawn.

by Raven_Sky



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Asshole Jon, Blood and Violence, Cop Jon is my cup of tea, Crime Fighting, Crimes & Criminals, Dark Jon Snow, Divorced Jonerys, Don't Like Don't Read, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Gun Violence, Implied Betrayal, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Jon and Dany has issues., Like lots of Issues, Lmao!!!, No Ghost, Non-Graphic Violence, Past Jon Snow/Val, Relationship Problems, Selfish dany, it's in the past
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-06-24 16:39:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19727581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Sky/pseuds/Raven_Sky
Summary: She betrayed his trust; he betrayed their marriage. Now, dangerous men were after her and she turned to the only guy who can protect her. Her Ex-husband.And for the love of Gods, Read the Tags!!!!!





	1. Chapter 1

Dany wiped her tears with her hands as she parked her car on the streets, she leaned against the car seat and exhaled. Her heart was thundering at the thought of seeing him, explaining to him why she was here. She knew that very well that he wouldn't be thrilled to see her at this hour but she had no other choice. The mafia was after her, and he's the only person who could help her. She felt like she was in the car for eternity.  
  
When she stepped out of the vehicle, she could see the lights were still on in the garage. Each step she took closer to his front entrance had her hands shaking and her heart racing. Dany still remembers the last time she was here. It was the day their marriage had ended. According to him, their marriage had ended a long before when she betrayed his trust and published that damned article for her own selfishness. The article about the drug dealers and how the cops were prepared to declare a war on drugs, which gave her the permanent position that she was chasing for three years at King's Landing Chronicle, the most selling daily in Westeros.  
  
She utilized the information that her husband had shared after one of their lovemaking sessions. He had thought that he was sharing that critical information with his wife but her journalist mind betrayed her. The article was published but it had caused more harm than good. It made her husband angry at her for betraying him, and it made the police to alter their plan. It also affected her husband's sergeant promotion, and he blamed her for it, rightfully so. She apologized to him and wanted to make her marriage work but he wasn't ready to listen. He left the house and came back a week later. Just when she thought that he was finally prepared to talk, he confessed to her that he slept with Val, his detective partner. She screamed at him, threw things at him before walking out of the house. And the worst thing was that he didn't even try to stop her.  
  
"I wish I had never met you," were the only words that came out of his mouth. Dany, in anger, picked up the vase and flung it on his head. His head was busted open and that's how she had last seen him, blood streaming down his face from above his right eye. And it was two years ago. Twenty-two months to be precise. They didn't even meet during the divorce proceedings.  
  
Stopping in front of the door, she brought her knuckles down on the wood, knocking three times before taking a step back, curling her hands at her sides and holding her breath.  
  
It was only a second later that the front door opened and Jon stood there, still handsome as she had met him seven years ago. She swallowed, this lump in her throat forming and refusing to go down, refusing to allow her to say anything. They stood there, staring at each other, neither speaking for long seconds. The air thickened and heated. Jon noticed her bloodshot eyes and opened the door wider for her to enter. He handed her tissues and went towards the kitchen.  
  
He came back a few minutes later holding a couple of coffee cups in his hands. He offered one to Dany and took his seat opposite of her. Still, no words were exchanged as both of them consumed their coffees.  
  
"Talk," he said directly. That's the first word he spoke to her in two years.  
  
"I need help," she simply replied looking up at him.

"Figures?"

Dany sighed, "You know how hard it's for me to come here and ask you for help."

"What? You need any other insider information to promote your career?" he barked at her face.  
  
Dany suppressed her anger and exhaled. "I'm in trouble."  
  
He chuckled. "You are not in trouble, Miss Targaryen. You are the trouble."  
  
"People are trying to kill me!" She stood up from her seat in anger and shouted at his face.  
  
"You should have gone to the cops," he replied casually looking unmoved by the reality of the situation.  
  
"You think I didn't do that?"  
  
"Then why are you here?'  
  
"It was a cop who tried to kill me!" she screamed at his face, and that gained his attention.  
  
"Sit," he announced clearly and she obeyed. "Tell me what happened."  
  
She folded her hands and tried to explain what was happening but was interrupted by the glass shattering sound. Both of them got alerted and suddenly a small object came through the window.  
  
"Fuck!" Jon shouted and seized her hand before taking her to the upstairs. To the master bedroom.  
  
"What was that?" she questioned as he closed the doors. He dragged that stupid ass ugly desk that she always hated to bar the doors.  
  
"Stun grenade," he replied and the next second he opened the closet to take out a couple of pistols. He handed one to Dany. She accepted it and unlocked the safety.  
  
"Do you want me to call 911?"  
  
He directed his gun to the roof and fired it for a couple of times, "There is your 911 call," he said and jumped out of the bedroom window. She looked down from the bedroom and saw him signaling her to jump as well. Mumbling under the breath and did as he instructed. It wasn't a long fall, but she landed on her ass. She limped back to her feet and saw a guy with a dark hoodie came at her pointing the gun. The foolish asshole didn't realize that Jon was hiding in the bushes. A bang on the back of the head with Jon's gun knocked the thug out.  
  
"Where is your car?" Jon questioned.  
  
"Across the street," she pointed at her Lexus. They gradually made their way towards the road leaning against the wall and saw another thug coming in their direction. Jon waited for him to pass but the thug spotted them. Before he could raise his gun, Jon put a bullet right between his shoulders. The asshole went down screaming and instantly both Jon and Dany took a run for their lives towards her car. Just when she opened the door of the car, she saw three more thugs coming out of the house. Jon thrust her into the passenger seat before sliding over to the other end on top of the hood. They also heard the police siren from the distance at the same time which distracted the thugs just enough for Jon to speed away. Dany watched through the sideway mirror as the thugs climbed into their SUV and speeding away in the opposite direction.  
  
"Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!" Jon punched the steering wheel in frustration. "Five minutes. You are back for a Five 'fucking' minutes and the trouble followed." Dany let him bark out his steam knowing very well that it wouldn't be sensible to open her mouth and cause more agitation.  
  
"Give me your phone!" he ordered as they reached the highway and Dany handed him her phone.  
  
She watched in horror as he threw the phone away through the window. "Why did you do that?' she screamed but received only a glare from him.  
  
They were driving on the highway that will take them away from King's Landing to the North. After an hour of silence, they reached God's Eye, a small lake outside King'S landing. It's also the same spot where Jon requested her to marry him. Tears welled in her eyes as past memories came back to haunt her. Life was so simple those days. She was interning at King's Landing Chronicle and he was just promoted as a detective.  
  
He stopped the car at a diner and stepped out of a vehicle. Dany followed as he stopped a pedestrian on his track. "KLPD. I need to borrow your phone, sir," he asked. The guy hesitated but handed his phone in fear after Jon took out his pistol.  
  
_"Val. It's me,"_ he said over the phone. Of course, he called the bitch.  
  
_"I'm totally fine,"_ she heard him answer. _" My phone is in the house, idiot."_  
  
_"Did you find anything?"_  
  
_"I knocked a guy out and shot another. Check the nearby hospitals for an entry."_  
  
_"I don't know. They were wearing dark hoodies and mask. And Val, they were equipped with Military-grade weapons. There will be a flashbang inside the house. Send it to the forensics."_  
  
_"Also check the CCTV footage."_  
  
_"Notify them I'm going dark for a few days."_  
  
_"Mormont will understand."_  
  
_"Is there anyone near you?"_  
  
_"Meet me at the cabin tomorrow afternoon. Bring my things."_  
  
_"I can take care of myself,"_ he said and cut the call. He switched off the phone and handed it back to the owner. "Keep the phone switched off for the night," he said to the owner and walked away. Dany followed him, and they went to her car.  
  
"Take the things you need and leave the car behind," he announced.  
  
"You want me to leave my car behind?"  
  
"Did you just not hear what I said to Val," he lashed out. "Those people were not mere thugs. It won't be difficult for them to trace out your phone and car."  
  
They purchased a couple of flashlights, some food from the nearby gas station. They hailed a cab on the other side of the road and climbed down near King's Wood, a small forest outside King's Landing where Jon's cabin was located. They traveled through the forest under the darkness using just their flashlights for guidance. After a thirty-minute trek, they reached the cabin. They consumed the food in silence. He took out his whiskey from the cabinet, and Dany observed him drink it in silence.  
  
"Tell me," he said staring at her.  


* * *

  
  
  
"You couldn't kill a girl!" Tywin shouted at the face of his son.  
  
"A guy intervened," his son, Jaime Lannister, the heir to Lannister family stepped up in front and said. "He knocked Addam out and shot Amory."  
  
"And why is he still alive?"  
  
"Cops arrived."  
  
"Who is this guy?"  
  
"We don't know. We followed the bitch and saw her entering his house."  
  
"I don't care who the fuck he is. Daenerys Stromborn knew too much information about our operations. I want her and this guy dead in the next 24 hours," he commanded and saw his son nod. Daenerys Stromborn rattled the wrong cage. She'll soon find out that no one fucks with the Lannisters.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm prepared for the trolls. Bring it on!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

"Tell me," he said staring at her coming to take a seat opposite of her.  
  
"Did you hear about a drive-by incident on Flea Bottom two weeks ago?" she asked opening her laptop.  
  
"Which one?" Jon scoffed, "It's Flea bottom. These things are casual there."  
  
"An underage girl was killed in that shooting?"  
  
"You know I'm not a homicide detective," he replied sipping his drink.  
  
She indeed knows that. Jon's a member of the Night's watch. A special police task force that deals only with high-profile cases. "It was featured in King's Landing chronicle."  
  
"I'm not a fan of your shitty daily." Dany rolled her eyes in annoyance and displayed the article she authored, but Jon looked like he didn't give a fuck about the article.  
  
"Why don't you just spit out what the fuck has happened? he said slamming the glass hard on the desk in front of him. "And take that shit out of my face," he added indicating his finger at her laptop.  
  
"A fifteen-year-old girl was shot and killed." Dany wiped her tear droplets that were trying to spill from her eyes, "And I was there!"  
  
That gained Jon's attention. He stared at her with his dark grey eyes, "Were you the target?"  
  
"No, they came for the girl."  
  
"Who was she?"  
  
"I don't know. I was at the gas station on Fleabottom and suddenly a girl with soiled clothes came running, screaming for help in Valyrian. But no one understood her. Then I enquired her what was happening in Valyrian. She came towards me saying there were men trying to kill her and asked me for help." She felt herself moving toward tears, swallowed hard. "It was then a black SUV pulled up and men started shooting. I closed my eyes and laid on the floor dragging the girl with me."  
  
Daenerys dabbed the tears from her eyes. She hated crying in front of people, especially Jon. She still remembers the day as if it happened yesterday. The girl looked so young and so vulnerable. "When I opened my eyes, the girl was lying on the floor. Her eyes were wide open but lifeless."

"You didn't get the plates?" Jon asked looking at her intently after a few seconds.  
  
Dany shook her head, "I saw a shiny, black SUV other than that I didn't see anything."  
  
"Was it the same SUV that we saw yesterday?"  
  
"It was."  
  
"What happened then?"  
  
"The cops came. They asked me a few questions, and I answered them."  
  
"Just you?"  
  
"No, there were three eyewitnesses," Dany replied fidgeting her fingers. "But I'm the only one who followed up the case."  
  
"Continue."  
  
"I waited for a week to get some answers but the Detective in charge said that it was a gang-related shooting and abandoned the case. So, I did my own digging and contacted my informant to know more about the shooting."  
  
"You have informants?"  
  
"I'm an investigative journalist. Obviously, I have C.I.s." Jon looked like he was going to state something but didn't. He simply bid her to continue.  
  
"I dug deep and discovered out that the girl was escaped from an old five-story building located a couple of blocks away from the gas station."  
  
"Let me guess. It was a brothel, wasn't it?" he said refilling his drink.  
  
Dany nodded. "I went back to the detective and notified him about the building. He said he would investigate it but didn't take any action. Two days later, I started receiving threatening phone calls from an unknown number and emails." She fumbled with her bag and took out an envelope. "This was delivered to me yesterday." It was a picture of her face in the dead girl's corpse.  
  
"They have some serious photoshop skills," he said scanning the photograph.  
  
Dany took the photograph from Jon and continued. "Once again I went to the detective and urged him to take action. I told him I would take this to his chief. He drove me to the building I mentioned and showed me that the building was abandoned years ago. I went to the chief, but he wasn't ready to believe me. He called me a typical attention-seeking who- journalist and threw me out. It was next I published this article hoping it'll make a difference." She turned the laptop and displayed the article she authored about the killing, the house and the response she received from the police to Jon. This time he didn't turn the laptop away.  
  
He scanned the article and looked at her. "Well, congratulations. It did make a difference. Now you are on the hit list."  
  
"People have a right to know what's happening in their neighborhoods."  
  
"Do you seriously think that people in the Fleabottom didn't know what was happening in that house?" Jon laughed.

Dany felt her temper kick in. "Do you want me to continue or not?"

"Go ahead."  
  
"I was preparing the dinner when I heard the heavy knocks at the door. I peeked through the window and saw the detective who was handling the case standing on my porch. I witness him signaling something behind. I followed the direction and saw a black SUV parked outside of my house. I instantly recognized the car. That's all I recall. I seized my things and ran straight to the garage. I don't know what happened after that. I merely remember driving my car and fifteen minutes later, I was outside our house."  
  
"My house," Jon intervened. "Not ours. Mine. And you dragged me into your mess."  
  
"Yes, your house," Dany shot angrily and stood up from her seat."And I'm sorry for dragging your ass into this. I should have known better."  
  
She collected her laptop and ran around the cabin to collect her things to leave the cabin but stopped when a strong pair of hands gripped her arm. "Tell me about this detective."  
  
Dany glared at him. "So now you are interested?"  
  
"It's out of my hands now. Those men will be seeking me as well. I want to know who I'm up against," his voice was thick and dangerous. His vicious eyes were full of anger. "So stop being a stubborn bitch and tell me the Detective's name?" he asked in a dangerously low voice.  
  
"Janos Slynt," she said in a mere whisper.  
  
"Do you know anything about the men who chased you?"  
  
Dany shook her head and freed from Jon's hold.  
  
"I will look into him. Meanwhile for the sake of both our lives. Don't do anything foolish," he said walked back to the kitchen cabinet to refill his drink.  
  
"I need one," she said eyeing the alcohol.  
  
"No," he answered simply. "Go to bed."  
  
"You are an asshole. You know that?" she barked and moved her ass to the bedroom.

* * *

  
The next morning she woke up late than usual. She was awake till two a.m. to find out any details. She had examined her home CCTV footage and found the plate of the SUV. She noted it down and tried to pass it to Jon but stopped when she found him sleeping on the couch.  
  
After finishing her morning activities, she ventured outside and saw he ex-husband heating up the leftovers from last night.  
  
She opened her laptop and showed the CCTV footage of the SUV. "I found the plates of the SUV."  
  
Jon looked at the screen. "It's likely a stolen vehicle or registered to a deadman."  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"It's my job to know these things," he dismissed and went outside to chop some firewoods. Dany took the time to clean the cabin. She didn't have to do that. Jon made it clear that it's not hers but doing household chores took her mind off from other things.  
  
The rest of the morning went in silence. Neither of them willing to open up a conversation unless it was necessary. By 1.30 in the afternoon, she heard a car horn from a distance. Jon walked into the cabin all sweaty. "Get inside the bedroom."  
  
"Why?" she questioned.  
  
"Flash News!" he said in an exaggerated fashion. "My team loathes you, and I don't want them to get involved."  
  
Dany grumbled under her breath and did as he told. From the bedroom, she peeked through the window and saw Jon's Mustang and another GMC truck coming towards the cabin. Her temper flared as Val climbed out of the Mustang. She looked exactly like the way she always looked. Tall, model-like figure. Long honey blonde hair, high cheekbones, and pale grey eyes. Dany always admired the blonde woman for her beauty and her kickass attitude until that godforsaken day.  
  
"Why she has to be this bloody gorgeous?" Dany cursed under her breath and saw another big figure climbing out of the truck. It's Tormund.  
  
Jon, Val, and Tormund are thick as thieves. All three of them graduated from the police academy together and went to the same precinct. Jon was then recruited into the Night's watch and he brought in Val and Tormund after a few months. Dany saw Val hug Jon and enquired a few things that Dany couldn't hear. Next, the three of them entered the cabin, and Dany plastered her ears to the door to overhear what they were communicating.  
  
"Sam looked into the CCTV footage from your house and couldn't discover anything," it was Val's voice. "The attackers wore masks, and the car was registered to a deadman."  
  
"What about the Flashbang?" Dany overheard Jon.  
  
"Forensics is still at it. I told the fookers to hurry up," Tormund replied.  
  
"Seriously, how are holding up?" Val questioned. Dany could hear the concern in her voice, and she didn't like it, not even one bit.  
  
"I'd be better if I know who those fuckers are."  
  
"You are right," Tormund replied. "We have to find them before this news reaches your uncle. God knows what will happen then?"  
  
Uncle! Dany didn't know that Jon has an uncle. Why would he have to conceal the fact that he has an uncle out there? She was deep in thoughts about what she had just heard, she didn't hear the footsteps nearing the bedroom door.  
  
"Hey, don't open that door!" she heard Jon shout but as it was a bit too late as the door was pushed open and Dany fell back on her ass with a welp inside the bedroom. She looked up and saw the unmissable figure of Tormund standing above her with widened eyes. Val too joined the big man and looked at Dany with shock.  
  
"Fook me sideways!" Tormund said in a raucous voice. "I need a fooking drink to get through this."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are most welcome.


	3. Chapter 3

Daenerys stood up from the floor and cringed noticing three pair of eyes on her. Her eyes instantly fell on the other woman in the room, and she counted from ten to one in reverse to control her anger but the bitch had the audacity to open her mouth.  
  
"What is she doing here, Jon?" Val questioned looking at Jon. "Are you guys back together?"  
  
"What is she doing here, Jon?" Dany shot back with venom.  
  
"This is going to be interesting," Tormund laughed and dropped himself on the couch.  
  
Jon sighed rubbing his eyes and looked at Val, "Yes, we are." He declared. Dany blinked a few times at him in confusion. _"Why would he lie?"_ she thought to herself but remained silent knowing very well to let Jon handle the situation.  
  
"Okay," Val replied looking confused between Jon and Dany.  
  
"And you," he said looking at Dany. "Play nice."  
  
"You want me to play nice with the bitch who slept with my husband, I don't think so."  
  
"Oh, honey! At least I'm not the one who sold him out," Val smirked looking at Dany. "And by the way, your marriage was over long before I slept with him."  
  
"Is that what you tell yourself at night?" Dany shouted at the bitch. "To sleep better."  
  
"Well, you have to ask him about it," the blonde replied with a smile, nodding at Jon. "Since I spent most of my nights with him."  
  
"Enough!" Jon growled and that stopped Dany before she did something stupid. Like, strangle the bitch with bare hands.  
  
"When did this happen?" It was Tormund's turn to question.  
  
"Recently," Jon answered.  
  
"You are back with her after everything she did to you? To our unit." It was once again that bitch.  
  
"Can we drop it for God sake," Jon announced glaring at the blonde woman and then Dany. "In case you forget. There are people out there, trying to kill me."  
  
"Fine!" both she and Val said in unison.  
  
"So, who are those guys?" Tormund asked changing the subject. "We looked at CCTV footage. Looked like pros."  
  
"I don't know. I have only one name. Janos Slynt. He is a homicide detective at Flea Bottom," Jon said looking at his colleagues.  
  
"Then let's pay him a visit," Tormund announced standing up from the couch.  
  
"No," Jon said sternly. "I don't want you guys to get involved."  
  
"You are not gonna do some Rambo shit, are you?" Val asked. Dany noted the concern in her voice. "You just recovered from your wounds."  
  
"Recovered?" Dany asked in surprise. "What happened?" That earned her a glare from Jon.  
  
Tormund furrowed his brows and looked at her. "If you are back with him. How come you didn't know about his injury?"  
  
"She didn't know!"  
  
"She didn't question the scars?" the ginger pressed further.  
  
"He is bullshitting!" Val declared before Jon could respond to Tormund's inquiry. "So, why don't you stop this crap and tell us what's really been going on?"  
  
Jon shook his head and let out a huge breath. "The thugs were after her," he said jerking his head in Dany's direction.  
  
Val looked at her with an icy glare. "Who did you screw up this time?"  
  
"Val," Jon called his partner's name in a threatening manner."Drop it."  
  
"Fine," the blonde huffed and flashed possible the fakest smile at Dany.   
  
Dany ignored the bitch and brought her laptop from the bedroom. She then explained everything to Tormund and Val who listened to her without interrupting.

"Janos Slynt is our best bet," Tormund announced after observing all the information.  
  
Jon nodded. "Put Sam to the task and notify him to mail me the details about this cunt."  
  
"What about his chief? The one who called her the attention-seeking whore." Val pressed the word 'whore'.  
  
Dany rolled her eyes, "There is only one whore in this room and that's not me."  
  
Val mocked a gasp. "She's calling you a whore, Tormund."  
  
"I ha been called worse." The hulking man laughed.  
  
"Guys!" Jon called everyone's attention. "Can we go back to the topic?" He then looked at Dany and prompted her to continue.  
  
"Alliser Thorne. The chief's name is Alliser Thorne."  
  
"Alliser Thorne." A look of recognition passed through Tormund's face.  
  
"You know him?" Jon asked.   
  
The big man nodded. "A strict by the books cop. I never heard of anything bad about him except his anger."  
  
Jon nodded, "Anyway. I want details about him as well." His colleagues nodded. "And keep this to ourselves," he added later.  
  
He then took Dany's car key from the desk and handed it to Val. "Do you know the Burger King near the God's eye?" Val nodded. "Her Lexus was parked there. Take it back to the precinct."  
  
"Lexus huh? Looks like selling you out rewarded her well," the blonde bitch threw the final punch and scurried off from the cabin with Tormund. Jon walked them out all the while Dany stood in the center of the cabin, fuming in anger.  
  
"Are you really going let her talk down on me like that?" she shouted as soon as Jon opened the door.  
  
"If I recall correctly, you are the one who called her 'the bitch' in the first place." He walked casually to the cabinet and took his whiskey out. "She was here to help and insulting the help isn't very wise, Miss Targaryen."  
  
"Forgive me for reacting to the woman who broke my marriage," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Yeah, right!" Jon replied in mocking manner and poured himself a drink.  
  
"Are you going to accuse me of the same?" she questioned walking over to him. "That I'm the one who broke our marriage."  
  
"Well, it's true."  
  
"You are the one who cheated on me!" she shouted at his face.  
  
"You want to bring that up. Fine!" He slammed the cabinet door shut."My infidelity is the same as you selling me out."  
  
"It's nowhere close!" She shouted.  
  
"Tell yourself that to sleep better at night," he growled angrily.  
  
"Well, what about your uncle then?" Dany questioned matching his intensity with one of her own. "You told me you had no family then where is this uncle come from?"  
  
"You are not my wife to question me anymore," he answered and cut the conversation off before exiting the cabin to work on his car. Dany has had enough. She would rather die than to spend any more time with him. She packed her things and shut the cabin door shut to exist. She was about a few feet out of the door before he came to stand before her.  
  
"Don't be stupid," he said in a low voice.  
  
"I can't stay here," she replied and continued to walk.  
  
He seized her hand and caused her to halt. Dany turned around and saw him looking at her. His expression was softened. "Give me two days. I'll find what we are up against and then we'll figure out what to do. Until then let's be civil."  
  
"If you want me to be civil, then I don't want your girlfriend anywhere near me."  
  
"She's not my girlfriend."  
  
"Booty call then?"  
  
"She just said that to rile you up. It happened only once between us."  
  
"When we were still married?"  
  
Jon nodded. "My team was pissed at me. I was pissed at you. She was the only one who was there for me. We decided to drink it out like we usually do but things had gone differently that night. If it's any consolation we regretted it and never did it again."  
  
"That doesn't cut it, Jon."  
  
"It wasn't meant to," he replied. "I'm not here to justify what I did. And I'm definitely not here to hear whatever you have in mind to justify your actions. We are in this clusterfuck together and we'll go on our separate ways once this shit is over."  
  
"Fine," Dany replied and her breathing came back to normal. "What happened to you? Val mentioned that you just recovered."  
  
"I was shot during an undercover mission."  
  
For a mere second, Dany couldn't breathe. Her heart was breathing more rapidly than it ever did. "What happened?" her voice came out in breaths.  
  
"I'm not allowed to share the details. I was shot, hospitalized and then recovered," he said and asked her to get in the car. He said that they were going back to King's Landing to have a talk with Janos Slynt.  
  
  


* * *

  
"Did you find them?" Tywin questioned his son who was sitting opposite of him. It's been almost eighteen hours since that journalist escaped from his men. They were running out of time.  
  
"Slynt found her car abandoned on the King's Road. Other than that, nothing," Jaime replied nervously. "I tasked Tyrion to find out more."  
  
"Call him," Tywin commanded and his son obeyed. He called his dwarf brother, and the imp entered his office after a few minutes with his laptop. The dwarf disgusted Tywin but even he can't deny that Tyrion has his uses.

"What do we know about Daenerys Stormborn?" The leader of the Lannisters questioned his second son.  
  
"First of all her name is not Daenerys Stormborn," Tyrion answered opening his laptop and looked at Jaime. "That's her pen name. You idiots sought her using that name."  
  
"Out with it," Tywin cut off, didn't possess the patience to hear any more of the imp.  
  
"Her real name is Daenerys Targaryen. Her ex-husband's name is Jon Snow."  
  
"I don't want to hear about her ex-husband."  
  
"Actually you do, father. Cause he's the guy Jaime encountered yesterday and you want to hear something interesting?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He is a Crow." _Seven Hells!_  
  
"He is in the Night's Watch?" Jaime asked in disbelief.  
  
Tyrion mismatched shifted between Tyrion and Jaime. "Not just a member but the second in command of the Night's Watch. You just rattled the Crow's nest, brother."  
  
"What are we going to do?" Jaime questioned looking at Tywin. There was a panic in his voice. Tywin can't blame him. The Lannisters know very well of The Night's Watch and the crows. It's the special task force created to deal with high-profile cases, almost in par with FBI and CIA. The last thing Lannisters need was to get their attention.  
  
"We should get rid of Slynt," it was the dwarf who answered.   
  
Jaime looked at his brother, "Are you insane?"  
  
"She must have told everything to her ex-husband by now and the first thing he'll decide to do is to pay a visit to Slynt," Tyrin expressed his thoughts. "And the coward will sing everything to him."  
  
"Tyrion is right," Tywin said in an authoritative tone. "Take our men and kill Janos Slynt."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. Real Life commitments.

The drive back to the city remains a silent affair. They stopped for gas and food. Dany informed him that she wanted to go back to her place to collect her things. He looked like he wanted to object but steered her to her neighborhood none the less. He stopped his Mustang a couple of blocks away from her place and called 911, requesting assistance. A few minutes later a couple of rookie cops responded.  
  
Jon ordered them to go to her place and collect her things. Dany wasn't thrilled to allow some strangers entering her house and handling her things but Jon said it's risky for her to make an appearance. With that they went back to their silent selves, sitting inside the car.  
  
"How is your mom doing?" he asked, ending the silence between them.  
  
"She is good."  
  
Jon nodded, his eyes still leveled on the roads. "I called Summerhall PD and asked them to position a couple of uniformed cops outside her house."  
  
"When did this happen?"  
  
"Last night."  
  
Panic set in her heat. "Do you think she is in danger?"  
  
"Better safe than sorry."  
  
Dany agreed, "I need to call her."  
  
"Here they come," Jon said and motioned his head to the police car that was approaching them. The rookie cops climbed out and delivered the things to her. Jon then borrowed a cell phone from one of the cops and passed it to Dany. She called her mom and had a casual talk, didn't want to worry her. Rhaella wasn't happy when Dany and Jon are separated. Again she didn't know the details why they were divorced in the first place.  
  
After sending the rookies away, Jon and Dany rented a room in a highway motel and waited for an update from his unit. She showered and changed into fresh clothes.  
  
"Did you hear anything?" she asked coming out of the bathroom drying her hair.  
  
Jon shook his head and went into the bathroom. Dany heard Jon's phone ringing after a few minutes. She peeked at it and groaned when she saw Val's face on the screen. The door of the bathroom opened and Jon came out wearing just a towel.  
  
He attended the call, but she wasn't paying attention as she was trying to control her beating heart noticing the scars on his chest. Tears threatening to spill from her eyes as she took a closer look at them. There were five angry scars, one closer to his heart screaming at her what he had been through. She noticed her hand was trembling, and his voice was inaudible as she moved closer to him. Unconsciously her trembling hands traced one of the scars, and she felt him tense under her touch. He pushed her hands away which brought her back to reality.  
  
"Don't," he said in a sinister voice, blocking his phone's mic.  
  
"What happened to you?" she whispered. This time she couldn't restrain her tears. Damn him for making her feel vulnerable.  
  
"Yeah, I will meet you there," he said on the phone neglecting her and cut the call. "We have to leave," he announced moving away from her.  
  
"What happened to you?" she pressed further.  
  
Dany felt his breathing becoming harder. "I told you already," he sighed taking a t-shirt from his bag.  
  
"How did you survive?"  
  
"I have endured worse than these," he replied harshly.  
  
"What's worse than these?" she shouted pointing at the scars.  
  
"My wife's betrayal for instance," he said and that made Dany stunned in her state. Numb with shock, and she stood, frozen.  
  
"Why do you always go back to that?" she screamed at his face unchaining herself.  
  
"Because it hurts!" he growled back. "It hurts more than these," he pointed at his wounds."To live with the knowledge that the woman I loved for five fucking years. The woman I called as my wife for three of those years sold me out for a petty job."  
  
"You are not the only victim here, Jon. You know how much I was hurt when you told me that you fucked another woman," she shot back. "And you were loaded with lies."

"Lies?"  
  
"You lied the whole time. You have an uncle, but you never told me of his existence."  
  
"Why my uncle's existence bothers you?"  
  
"Obviously it bothers me!" she barked. "Your colleagues know about your family but not me!"  
  
"If that was your concern, let me tell you that they only know about him recently. He came to visit me when I was shot," he replied examining his pistol.  
  
"Why is he a secret? You never talked about your family other than your mother."  
  
"Because I promised her!" he barked coming to stand close to her, his nostrils flaring in anger. "When she was dying, I promised my mom that I would stay away from my uncles."  
  
"Uncles?" She could feel her voice was breaking down.  
  
"I have two," he replied in a much calmer than before. "And that's all the answers you are gonna get for now."  
  
He then walked over to the bed and picked dark blue jeans. "We have to leave. So, stop asking questions and get ready."  
  
"Just so you know, Jon. You deserve everything that happened to you," she responded in fury. Dany knows that it's a low blow but the asshole deserved it for treating her like shit for the last twenty hours.  
  
"Open your mouth again, and I'll sell you to the people who were chasing you just like you sold me out," he replied and went outside the room in a flash. He then poked his head inside the room after a few seconds. "And don't think about doing something stupid. Remember our deal. Two days is all I ask."  
  
Dany waited for a few minutes to soothe her nerves. Two days. She can endure him for two days. Picking up her things, she followed him to his car. They drove to the downtown area and reached an apartment complex. All the while no words were exchanged between them. They took the elevator to the seventh floor and reached a door. After a couple of knocks, the door opened and Dany groaned noticing the blonde-haired bitch. She held the door open for them to enter and she saw three other people inside. Tormund, Samwell Tarly who visibly paled noticing her and Jon's Commander Jeor Mormont who stood in the center of the room with an ice-cold face. The old man was always kind to Dany, but she can't expect the same kindness from him now.  
  
Jon looked at Tormund who elevated his hands in surrender. "The old bear found out."  
  
"Imagine my surprise when I found out one of my techs collecting details on a Flea Bottom detective," the old man announced. His voice was coated with an iron tone. "It piqued my interest enough to do my own research on Detective Slynt and his cases." He next looked at Dany and continued. "One name gripped my attention. You think you can keep this hidden forever?"  
  
"No, sir," Jon replied looking at his chief.  
  
"Very well then. Let's move on from it now," Commander Mormont said and everyone in the room nodded.  
  
"We sent CSI to the mansion mentioned in the article and guess what they discovered?" It was Val who said walking over to the corner to pick up her phone.  
  
"DNAs," Jon answered.  
  
"As if we are that lucky," the golden-haired woman shrugged and displayed her cell phone to Jon. Dany peeked at the phone and saw the said mansion was on fire.  
  
"It was set on fire deliberately a few hours ago. The fire department said it was an electrical fire."  
  
"They are severing the ties which means they know who I am." The cops in the room nodded as Jon continued. "We need to bring in Slynt. Right now."  
  
"Too late," Tormund replied and Dany saw Jon rubbing his temple, lowering himself on the couch.  
  
"What happened?" Dany opened her mouth and all pair of eyes were on her.  
  
"Slynt was found dead an hour ago," Val replied passing a photograph to Jon. Dany couldn't believe what the fuck was happening. How can anyone kill a cop? "He was shot in the head. Execution style."  
  
"A unit is in his house. Examining his things for evidence," the old bear said looking at everyone in the room and finally settling on Jon. "We will notify you if we uncovered anything. For the present, stay safe." They discussed the case for a few more minutes and asked Dany a few questions. Commander Mormont departed from them advising them to be patient. Tormund and Sam took their leave as well following their commander. That left Dany and Jon alone with Val.  
  
"What you are going to do?" the blonde asked brewing them some coffee.  
  
Jon looked at his partner. "I am gonna visit an old friend."  
  
"Tell me who is that and I'll go," Val said.  
  
Jon shook his head, "He won't talk to you."  
  
"You should go to your uncle. He might help you."  
  
"No," Jon told sternly.  
  
"Don't be stupid, Jon," Val chided.  
  
"I don't want to bring him into this," Jon cut off standing up from the couch and glaring at the blonde. "I'll speak with my friend and decide further steps later."  
  
Val looked like she was going to ram his head to the floor but huffed and dropped herself on the couch. "What about her then?" she asked jerking her head towards Dany's direction.  
  
"She's coming with me."  
  
"You can leave her here."  
  
"No, thank you," Dany answered before Jon.  
  
Val chuckled. "My place is always open for you and her if you need a place to stay."  
  
"Thank you," he replied pulling the blonde woman into an embrace. Once again anger built up inside Dany seeing how close they were but bit her tongue from lashing out. Next, they were out of Val's apartment and started their drive. He stopped at a restaurant where they both finished their dinner. Once again it was a silent drive and they sped through the city to the slum that everyone calls Flea Bottom.  
  
"What are we doing here?" she questioned as Jon cut through a street and entered a narrow street.  
  
"Meeting an old friend," he replied directly. He parked his car on the side, outside a house. Jon checked his gun once again and prompted Dany to do the same. After making sure that everything was fine, they waited. They waited for the streets to empty, listening to some music. It was closer to twelve when they climbed out of the car.  
  
They walked over to the adjacent house and gave a couple of knocks. A redhead woman opened the door, just a smidgen. Jon pushed the door wide open and ventured inside. It was only then that Dany noticed that woman was completely naked. Her face was full of fear when Jon displayed his badge.  
  
"What the fuck are you doing here?" they overheard a gruff voice from one of the rooms.  
  
Jon ignored the voice and took a hundred-dollar bill from his wallet. He offered it to the woman and nodded, "Get dressed and get out of here."  
  
The woman nodded and collected her things from the floor. It was then a bulky man came out of a bedroom. His left side of the face was distinguished by gruesome burn scars.  
  
"Still paying for the sex, I see," Jon said looking at the hulk of a man.  
  
"Not everyone is pretty as you," the stranger replied in an irritated voice.  
  
"That we can agree," Jon replied and walked over the sofa before settling himself on it. Dany tiptoed and followed her ex-husband.  
  
"You know they told me you became a cop, but I never believed it," the big man said dragging a chair from his dinner table. "Seems like they were right. Only in this city, a kid like you can become a cop."  
  
"I'm not here to talk about me," Jon cut off." There is an old abandoned building near the docks. Do you know what that place is?"  
  
"There are dozens of abandoned building near the docks. I need specifics."  
  
"This one," Dany said passing the printed photograph of the building. "We believe it's a brothel."  
  
"No shit, Sherlocks," the big man laughed at her face and looked at Jon. "This is an old abandoned building on the outside but inside it's a whole another world."  
  
"You visited there?" Jon questioned.  
  
"This is not the place for the likes of me."  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"This place is a high-class brothel. You know, for the rich old asshole."  
  
"Any underage girls in there?"  
  
"Almost all of them," the hulk replied. "Those rich pricks like them young."  
  
"Who owns the place?"  
  
A wide grin has erupted on Sandor's face. "Oh, boy! You are gonna enjoy this."  
  
"Information, Sandor?"  
  
The big man ignored Jon and walked over to the fridge. He took out a beer and returned to his seat. "You know," he started calmly. "I'm thinking about moving to the North. There are several openings in newly constructed steel factories."  
  
Jon sighed, "This better be worth it." He then took a hundred-dollar cash bundle from his jacket and dropped it on the bamboo table before him.  
  
"Ten thousand won't cut it," the big man replied taking the money from the table. "As I said, you are gonna love the information I'm going to share."  
  
Jon regarded the bulky man for a few seconds and placed another ten thousand on the desk. A big smile erupted on Sandor's face and he picked the cash. "I wanted more but since you and I go way back, I'm settling for twenty."  
  
Jon stared at the big man. "Who?"  
  
"Joffery," Sandor replied with a grave look on his face. "Joffery Baratheon. You connect the dots." Dany saw Jon tense when he heard the name. His eyes were burning red with rage.  
  
"Who is Joffery?" Dany questioned looking at the two men.  
  
It was Sandor who answered looking at Jon. "Someone he needs to kill."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was almost tempted to bring in some smut in here but decided otherwise. Please share your thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big Congratulation to Kit Harrington who has been cast as the Black Knight in Marvel's Eternals. 
> 
> The Black Knight character just gave me an idea for a Jonerys fic. I'll try to write it if I have time.

"Someone he needs to kill."

Dany whirled her head to look at Jon who was sitting on the sofa, looking angrier than she had witnessed him before.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" she questioned looking at her ex-husband.  
  
"Nothing," he replied with a sharp tone, focusing his intense eyes on the bulky man before him. For a few minutes, there was an eerily silence around them. Both men stared at each other, and Dany shifted her eyes between them, trying to comprehend what the fuck was happening. What's the history between the two? What Sandor meant when he said that Joffery was someone that Jon needs to kill?  
  
"Go back to the car and lock the door," Jon announced looking at her.  
  
Dany shook her head stubbornly. "I want to know what the fuck is happening here?" Jon stared at her.  
  
"Who is she by the way?" she overheard Sandor's voice pausing the moment between them.  
  
"My ex-wife."  
  
Sandor shifted his eyes to Dany and then to Jon. "And you are dragging her with you?"  
  
"She is the one who dragged me into this," Jon sighed. He then turned towards Dany and said. "He's a friend. You can tell him." And Dany did exactly that. Sandor huffed at everything she said as if he knew all these things before and that made her angry. If people in this shithole know what was happening why they didn't take any action against the brothel.  
  
"She is a trophy," Sandor announced looking at Jon after Dany concluded.  
  
Jon nodded. "I thought so."  
  
"Trophy?" she questioned. Her voice was croaked.  
  
"Life lesson, sweetheart," Sandor said looking at her. "No one fucks with the Lannisters. You gained their attention and now, they want you as a trophy."  
  
Great! That's one more mystery. "Who are the Lannisters?"  
  
"That's enough," Jon said standing up from the sofa. "Let's go," he said looking at Dany. When Dany refused to stand up, he seized her hand and made her stand. "Don't test my patience," he breathed harshly onto her face. "Not today."  
  
When Dany tried to fight his hold on her hand, he whispered with his pleading eyes. "Please." Which made Dany look at him in disbelief. He was pleading almost begging her.  
  
"I know it's not my place but it's better if she knows who is coming after her and how much danger she is in," they heard Sandor say from his seat.  
  
Jon took deep breaths shifting his eyes between the other two people in the room. "I'll tell you." He budged after a few seconds. "Now go back to the car and wait for me. I need to speak with Sandor, alone." This time Dany didn't protest. She listened to him and went back to his car.

* * *

  
  
Jon watched from the windows as Dany climbed into the front seat. "She's bold," he heard Sandor's gruff voice. "She reminds me of your mother." Jon didn't bother correcting the man. That was a half-truth anyway.  
  
Once he saw her securing the door, he shifted his attention to the big man in the room who was holding a couple of beers. He offered one to Jon and motioned him to sit.  
  
"This is poetic, isn't it?" Sandor chuckled. "You are coming out of your self-imposed exile. You left because of a woman and now you are likely going back to your past life because of a woman."  
  
Jon stared at the gigantic man. "I'm not going back."  
  
"You and I both know that it's the only way," Sandor replied staring deeply into Jon's eyes. "That's the only way to protect that Veela of yours."  
  
"She's not mine," Jon lashed out. "Not anymore."  
  
"If you say so," Clegane huffed. "What happened between you two, by the way?"  
  
Jon closed his eyes and calmed his nerves, didn't want to think about his failed marriage and how he screwed things up beyond any repair. "Things didn't work out between us," he said calmly.  
  
"I want Joffery," he said finishing his beer in a go, a few seconds later.  
  
Sandor laughed, "It's absurd, you know? Not long ago, you said that you weren't going back but now you are asking about Joffery."  
  
"Not the time for a jape, Sandor."  
  
The big man sighed, "Getting to him is impossible. There is a reward of two million on his head, put out by your uncle. Naturally, Tywin increased his grandson's protection. One of them is my brother."  
  
"There is always a way."  
  
"There is no fucking way. Not in this," the big man barked out loud. "No one knows where he lives other than his family. Now that the wedding is near. They tripled his security."  
  
Jon arched his brows in confusion. "What wedding?"  
  
"You didn't know?" the hulking man questioned taking one more sip of his beer. "Joffery is engaged to marry Margaery Tyrell."  
  
Jon crinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of Joffery marrying someone like Margaery. "What made the Tyrells come to such a conclusion?"  
  
"They were getting hit by the Martells really hard in recent years. They were desperate for an alliance and Tywin offered it to them."  
  
"They know what kind of monster Joffery is, right?"  
  
"They brushed it off as a rumor," the big man answered.  
  
"It's not a rumor."  
  
"Tell that to them," Sandor replied. "Word on the street is that Tywin Lannister personally promised them that no harm will come to Margaery."  
  
"This wedding should not happen," Jon said rising from the seat. "Lannsiters will become extremely powerful."  
  
"You can't stop it," Sandor replied looking at Jon."You can't get anywhere near Joffery."  
  
"Who said anything about Joffery?" Jon smirked.

* * *

  
  
Dany waited impatiently in the car for Jon to return. It's been almost fifteen minutes since she left the two men to converse. Meantime, she checked her pistol once again. A habit she picked up from Jon. He checks his gun often and when questioned he said it was therapeutic. A faint smile crept up on her face thinking about the dates when he took her to the shooting range and trained her in the shooting. That unknowing smile instantly vanished when she saw him coming out of Sandor's house. Jon slid into the driver's seat, slipped his key into the ignition, and glanced over at her.  
  
"Open your laptop," he said once they hit the Highway.  
  
"For what?"  
  
"I need to find someone."  
  
"Fine," she said and powered her laptop. "Switch on your hotspot."  
  
"Search for Margaery Tyrell," he said sharing his internet connection.  
  
The result came back, and Jon pointed his finger at a beautiful looking girl with dark brown hair and doe eyes. "That one."  
  
"Who is she?" she asked opening the brown-haired woman's profile.  
  
"Someone we need to save," he replied directly.  
  
"We?"  
  
"Yeah and you are going to assist me."  
  
"Assist you how?"  
  
"Screenshot that page and email it to me."  
  
Dany did as told. "Is this that help?"  
  
"No," he returned directly and dialed a number on his phone.  
  
"You awake?" she overheard him say on the phone. "I'm sending you a profile of a girl. I want you to find her phone number and address."  
  
"And Sam. Use your brain and keep this to yourself. No one should know about this. Not even Val and Tormund. You hear me?"  
  
"Yeah, be quick about it." He hanged and continued to drive back to their motel.  
  
"Who is Margaery?" she pressed further, turning her body left to face him. "And I don't want any dumb answers."  
  
Dany saw him tense, his hands clutching the steering wheel hard but he responded anyway. "Margaery and I attended school together. She is a year senior to me."  
  
"And why she needs saving?"  
  
"She is engaged to Joffery," he answered and then turned his head towards Dany with a grave look. "And we are going to kidnap her."  
  
She almost choked, hearing this from Jon and how he wanted her to assist him in a crime. "You are fucking crazy if you think I'll help you in a kidnapping."  
  
"Fair enough," he replied casually. "I'll ask Val then."  
  
Ice slid down her spine. "I'll report you to your commander."  
  
"Do it, and you'll lose every support."  
  
"How can you expect me to help you kidnap.."  
  
"Save...," he cut her off. "I'm asking for your help to save her."  
  
"KIDNAP... You are asking my help to kidnap a woman so that she can't wed her fiance." It was hard to keep control.  
  
He pulled the car and shut the engines. He removed his seatbelt and turned on his seat to look at Dany. "Listen to me and listen carefully," he said in a mere whisper but no less threatening. "Joffery is the guy who owned that brothel and exploits those little girls. Do you really desire a woman like you to wed him?"  
  
"No," Dany replied in an instant. "But it's not your place to determine who she marries? It should be her own decision."  
  
"Yeah, it should be her own decision," he smirked. There was some satisfaction in his eyes. "And it's your words, not mine."  
  
"What are you babbling?"  
  
"It's an arranged marriage. One that was arranged by her family without asking her."  
  
"What? Who do things like that these days?"  
  
"Old Families."  
  
"Old Families?"  
  
He sighed, "There are Seven old families. They rule the underworld of King's Landing."  
  
"Like in the movies?"  
  
Jon nodded, "Except, this is absolutely real. Most of the time they stay unknown and conduct their business in the dark of the night."  
  
"If you know about these things why the police didn't take any action?"  
  
"Because these people are powerful. Like, powerful than the mayor and the governor. They are the Kingmakers of this country and the police are like a tiny insect for them."  
  
"And this Joffery fellow belongs to one of the families?"  
  
"Two," Jon answered. "And if he marries Margaery, that will unite three families together under his name which will make him the most formidable person in the city. That symbolizes death for both of us."  
  
She stared at him in open-mouthed confusion, frozen like a statue. Unimaginable fear slowly crept up on her mind. "And you think kidnapping this girl will stop this marriage?" she gulped.  
  
"Yes, I think it's the best course of action," he answered in an exasperated tone. "And will you help me or not? If you don't, I need to come up with a different plan."  
  
"I sure gonna regret this later," she mumbled into the air.  
  
"What?" he barked.  
  
"I said, I 'll help," she concluded.  
  
"Good," he replied buckling his seatbelt.  
  
"So, what's the plan?"  
  
"I don't have one. I just want to know whether you are willing to do the dirty works?"  
  
Dany rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to call him an asshole but a different thought coursed through her mind. "Why did your friend say that Joffery is someone you need to kill?" she asked looking at him as the engine purred into his life.  
  
"That's the story for another day," he said without looking at her, shifting his car forward.  
  
"And how did you know so much about those families?" she asked as he picked up the speed.  
  
He closed his eyes for a few seconds, not concentrating on the road before them. He took a deep breath and whispered. "I was one of them."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are most welcome.


	6. Chapter 6

She blinked a few times in confusion. "What do you mean you were one of them?" she asked in a croaked voice. Jon spared a glance at her but remained silent. They were nearing their motel. "Tell me!" she shouted at his face.

  
"Would you drop it already?" he barked loudly.  
  
"No! I won't!" she shot back in anger. "Who are you?"  
  
"Jon Snow. A detective at KLPD."  
  
"Fine! Who were you?"  
  
"It doesn't matter who I was!" he snapped angrily.  
  
"Of course it matters. How can I trust you?"  
  
"I could ask you the same question."  
  
That's it. That was the end. "Stop the car!" she screamed punching his shoulders. "Stop the fucking CAR!"  
  
His frown deepened. He looked at her with anger, then at the road, then at her angry face "Don't be a fool, alright?"  
  
She groaned. Air charging through her flared nostrils. "I don't fucking care! Better them than you."  
  
"You have no idea who they are?"  
  
"I have no idea who the fuck you are as well. At least, they didn't hide who they were."  
  
"Fine!" he shouted and halted the car suddenly turning towards her with an animalistic face. "Get out. Get out of the fucking car!"  
  
Dany unlocked the door and climbed out of the vehicle. She shut the door forcibly and started walking forward. She heard Jon screaming inside the car, but she spared no glance at him as she kept walking. She turned a corner and resumed her walk. The streets were dark and after a couple of minutes, she heard the sound of a mustang. His car. She paid him no mind and kept walking. He pulled in front of her and climbed out of the vehicle. Dany tried to walk around, but he stepped in front of her.  
  
"Get in," he said in an exhausted voice.  
  
"Who are you, mister?"  
  
She observed him shake his head slowly. "Don't be silly. Just get in." His voice was gentler.  
  
"I'm gonna call the police if you don't leave me alone."  
  
"I'm the fucking police!"  
  
"No, you are not!" Dany huffed, determined to not cower from him. "You are a fucking gangster. A Wolf in Shepherd's clothing."  
  
"Do not call me a gangster, again," he said in a threatening voice. His face then fell. "Get in the car," he said in a low voice. "Please, Dany."  
  
"You are not entitled to call me by that name."  
  
He stared at her for a few seconds. When she refused to budge, he shifted his hands towards her, locking on her shoulders and holding her in place. He lowered his face to lock his dark grey eyes with hers and whispered. "Get in the car, and I'll tell you everything. I promise."  
  
"The Lannisters are dangerous. For your own sake, please get in the car," he added looking directly into her.  
  
Dany stared at him and then let out a huge breath after a few seconds before climbing into the car. He followed her swiftly and slid onto the driver's seat. One again they went back to their silent selves.  
  
"Motel is that way," she said as Jon took a turn away from their motel.  
  
"We are not going to the Motel."  
  
"Then where?"  
  
"My mother's house."  
  
"You have another house?"  
  
"It's my mother's. Not mine."  
  
Dany shut her mouth after that as they kept driving towards Rhaenys' hill, King's Landing's most posh neighborhood. He drove through the streets and halted his car outside a house. He entered the keycode and the gate opened to reveal a beautiful Victorian-style house that was illuminated once the gates opened. He drove through the gate and parked his car outside the main entrance.  
  
"This place looks pristine," she said surveying the house.  
  
"The manager of this community charge two thousand dollars a month to maintain it that way," he answered as they walked towards the front door and Jon entered the security code to unlock the door.  
  
"There are five bedrooms here. Three on the first floor and two on the ground," Jon announced switching on the lights. The interior looked beautiful with several paintings and Jon's mom portrait was hanging on the wall along the staircase. "The kitchen and dining room are that way," he said walking towards the kitchen. He unlocked the cabinet and took out two glasses. He filled them with water and passed one to Dany.  
  
"It's purified," he said when she hesitated to drink the water.  
  
"You kept this house hidden from me," she accused taking a sip.  
  
He narrowed his eyes, "I rarely visit this place. It was kept secret for a reason."  
  
"The same reason why you hid who you were?"  
  
Jon nodded. "Before I begin, I want to know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
She watched life flicker behind his stoic eyes. "That you are not going to sell me out this time."  
  
Dany took a few steps to match him. "You really think that's why I'm asking you to tell me the truth?"  
  
"You can't blame me. You betrayed me once and what's stopping from doing the same again."  
  
Her breathing has begun to get faster and harsher. "You are a fucking idiot!"  
  
"Give me a reason to trust you." He snapped walking towards the other side of the counter to fill the glass."And I'll tell you."  
  
"I'm asking because I want to know," she tried to fight back her tears. "I want to know because it hurts. It hurts so much to know that I spent five fucking years of my life living with a lie. I want to know that I didn't love a lie."  
  
"I never lied to you," he answered in a muted voice after her outburst. "Just hid the first nineteen years of my life."  
  
Dany snorted, "As if that makes it any better."  
  
"What do you want to know?" he sighed.  
  
"Everything," she replied in an instant.  
  
"Fine! For a start, my name is not Jon Snow."  
  
She swallowed at the sudden knot in her throat. "What?!"  
  
"I told you about the seven families, right?"  
  
She flashed him a furtive glance. "What's that gotta do with your name?"  
  
"I'm coming there." Chills shivered down her spine as he continued. "Starks, Tullys, Arryns, Lannisters, Baratheons, Tyrells and Martells are those seven families," he explained patiently. "They rule the seven districts of King's Landing and they manage their own businesses. Most of the time they conduct businesses within their districts."  
  
"You worked for one of them?"  
  
"I was one of them."  
  
"You are a Stark, aren't you?" she said connecting the dots. "You said their name first."  
  
She squirmed as his forehead creased. He stared silently, and she couldn’t read the expression on his face. A look of surprise skimmed his eyes. "Impressive skill but I listed the names from the North to South. The Starks rule the Northern district and the Martells south."  
  
"So which one are you?"  
  
Jon let out a huge breath and whispered. "My name is Jon Stark, son of Lyanna Stark," he answered looking at the portrait of his mother from a distance. "And don't ask me about my father. I never knew who the asshole was."  
  
"So, this is your big secret?"  
  
He nodded, "Pretty much. I was raised to lead the Stark clan along with my cousin, but things changed when I was sixteen."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"My Uncle Benjen took me to a business meeting and we were ambushed." He closed his eyes. There was a shadow of sadness passed through his face. "Three of our men were killed. My uncle and I fought off our attackers."  
  
Dany gasped, feeling the color drain from her face. "Did you kill anyone?" she heard herself ask, her quiet voice fracturing the silence. She wasn’t certain he’d heard her but then saw the evidence in the bulge of his tense shoulders. It was a protracted moment before he turned around.  
  
A cold chill blew over her at his next words, and she felt her heart stutter for a moment."Five men. I killed five men that day." He said tracing his finger on the scar that was located just above his eye. "One of them gave me this."  
  
"You murdered them?" she asked in disbelief. She swallowed, her parched lips fusing together, her heart thumping a violent cadence.  
  
Another moment slipped by as his hard gaze searched her face. His jaw clenched tightly. "I defended myself. It's either them or me," he lashed out harshly. "If it makes you feel any better I killed more men when I'm on the force than I did when I was with the Starks. We don't go around and slay people unnecessarily."  
  
She stepped back and took a deep breath, swallowing nervously. She tucked her unruly waves behind her ears and straightened her blouse. "What happened after that?"  
  
"My mother heard about it and took me away from uncles. We moved to this house but ...," he trailed off. He went to hibernation once again. He opened and shut his mouth a few times as if he wasn't ready to tell anymore.  
  
"You left your mom?" she asked as he struggled to form words.  
  
"I didn't abandon her but kept going back to my uncles," he replied in shame. "I was a teenager. Hanging out in the north gave me everything. Fast cars, motorcycles, booze, excitement, girls..."  
  
"My mother tried to stop me but I didn't listen. I started spending more and more time with the Starks. All of us believed that one day she will let go of her anger and change her mind but she never did."  
  
"I was nineteen when I received a call from the hospital. We rushed to the hospital, and the doctors told us that my mom had a heart attack. Upon reviewing further they detected a tumor in her heart vessels which caused the heart attack." He closed his eyes to try to fight back the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. "She was kept alive by this massive machine which allowed us to say our goodbyes."  
  
"I'm sorry," she said didn't know what else to say.  
  
He smiled a sad smile. "It was there. In that room, she asked me to make a promise. A promise to leave the family for good and start my own life." He ran a hand through his curls "I cremated my mom, moved to the other side of the city and changed my name to run away from everything."  
  
"I felt guilty for my mom's death. I kept thinking that if I had stayed more often, I could have done something. The exact thought haunted me, still haunts me but didn't stop me from completing my associate's degree in criminal justice. I entered the academy after that and graduated top of my class. It's where I met Tormund and Val."  
  
He then looked at her with kind eyes. "Two years later I met you. You waited for our table and threw a baby-like tantrum."  
  
"You didn't tip," she said remembering the day she had met him for the first time. She was studying at KLU at that time, working as a part-time waitress in the evenings.  
  
Jon chuckled, "Tormund called you a banshee, but I thought you were a Veela."  
  
"Veela?"  
  
"A magical creature in Harry Potter Series," he replied with a smile. "Young, beautiful women like creatures with white-gold hair and moon-bright skin. Just like you. And I was hypnotized by you since then. After channeling the courage, I asked you out on a date and you know what happened after that."

She stole a glance at him beneath her lids. He stood stoically silent, his features unreadable. "You hit me like a wave. One that made me very happy. I wanted to tell you everything, but the very thought of losing you made me hide things. I built this big wall and locked my past on the other side."

  
"And you were on the bright side. Hell, you were the bright side. The dawn of my life."  
  
"How Sandor came into this?" she asked changing the topic, clearly wasn't ready to hear the feeling once he had for her. It pained her so much. The man who once loved her started hating her after one mistake.  
  
"You remember Wolf's creek?"  
  
"The beach resort?" she asked remembering the place. He took her there one weekend and they had a very good time.  
  
"That's actually my mom's."  
  
"That's yours?"  
  
He nodded. "Now I own it. Through proxy of course. The entire profit from that place goes to Children's heart foundation."  
  
"And Sandor?"  
  
"I think it happened when I was six or seven. I don't remember the exact time. My mother brought home this 13-year-old boy with half of his face covered with bandages. He was caught stealing food from the resort's kitchen. Instead of handing him to the police, my mom took him to the hospital to treat his burn injuries and brought him to the Stark's mansion. Since then, he worked for the Starks. He was with them when I left but I don't know what made him leave."  
  
"What happened to his face?"  
  
"His brother pressed the steaming iron onto his face."  
  
"His own brother?"  
  
Jon nodded, "And you met him."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Remember the giant man who attacked us in the house?" Dany nodded. "That was him. Gregor Clegane and he works for the Lannisters."  
  
"What about the Lannisters? How they came into this?"  
  
"Lannisters control the west side of the city. Tywin Lannister is the head of the organization. Let me tell you something. Tywin is the undisputed king of this city. I'm not kidding. Now, you caught his attention, and that's not the good thing." He paused for a few seconds. "And he is Joffery's grandfather."  
  
"What's your beef with Joffery, then?"  
  
"I explained about the arrange marriage thing right?"  
  
Dany nodded her affirmation. "That's how the alliances are sealed among the families."  
  
"Joffery is the son of Robert Baratheon, my uncle's childhood friend and he was married to Cersei Lannister. Three years ago, both Robert and my uncle decided to engage Joffery to my cousin to seal an alliance. The alliance that would have united four of the seven families."  
  
"Your cousin?"  
  
"Sansa. Sansa Stark." A dark shadow passed through his face.  
  
"How many cousins do you have?"  
  
"I had Eight. Now, Seven."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
His eyes shoot up in fury. "Joffery raped and killed Sansa," he growled in a low voice. "This happened a year ago, after Robert's death. Since then, my uncles trying their hardest to kill the bastard but so far met only with failures and lost men."  
  
"And now you want to try?" she heard herself ask.  
  
"I said more than enough," he replied coldly. His icy tone conveyed he’d tolerate no further question from her. "Now, it's up to you whether you want to stay with me or not but please, I beg you not to do anything stupid. I'm already carrying my mother's death with me, and I can't carry yours as well. Just stay with me until we find a way out of all this. Then, we will go on our separate ways."  
  
She watched as he walked towards the stairs. He stopped and turned around to look at her. "Despite what you think, you didn't live with a lie or married a lie. Jon Snow is a real person. The person who my mom wanted me to be and once upon a time, I loved you with all of my heart."

She swallowed hard and tried to appear unperturbed as he raised his hand high up in the air. "I put you up there with my mom. Perhaps that was the mistake I made. I loved you so much, and that's why it destroyed me when my colleagues threw that damned newspaper on my face and called me a traitor."

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes tighter, hoping to restrain the tears, that began streaming from beneath her lids as he continued. "I was angry. I wanted to hurt you. Hurt you so much but I couldn't. So, I decided to drown myself inside the bottle to forget things and that's when Val found me. She listened to everything I had said and assured me that there's always a way out. The next morning, I found her curled onto me, naked."  
  
"I don't want to hear about it," Dany snapped.  
  
"I know," he replied with a faint smile. "I just want to tell you that it wasn't my intention to hurt you like that but it happened." Dany blinked away the tears glazing her eyes. "You have a free reign of this house except for that room." He pointed his finger at one of the rooms."It was my mom's." With that, he left her and climbed on the stairs leaving her with a mixed bag of emotions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please share your comments.


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